romney made these assertions and obama never challenged them at all. >> right. romney tried to recast that whole taxation argument by arguing yes i agree that i cut the taxes on the highest earners but i don't reduce the overall share of tax burden. now that is from obama's perspective, certainly a dubious assertion at best and yet there was no real underlying or emphasizing of the fact that obama blatantly -- >> bill: here's the question. let's end with this one. do you think it changes last night's -- last night's debate changed the course of this campaign? >> i think that it puts governor romney in a much more competitive position. i'm not sure it will be a determinative of the election but it revitalizes republican hopes. i would expect to see some closing in the polls where romney has been lagging. it changes in that respect. >> bill: they got a new burst of energy. niall is a staff writer at the hill newspaper. you can follow him at the the hill.com. thanks niall. >> thank you. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." you've heard bill's views, now let